Chapter 296: Kidnapping Alaric 3

"ARRRGHHH... IT’S... D-DRA—"

"Dra what?" Nova asked coldly, his gaze fixed on Alaric.

"THE... DRAGON EMPERORRR!" Alaric finally screamed out before breaking into another fit of agonized howling.

Nova was surprised to hear that, and his eyes widened slightly. Another powerful racial Emperor, standing on the same level as Caelan, was targeting him.

To make matters worse, the Dragon Emperor might also suspect that Nova Valencrest was the Slaughter Monarch.

Considering the circumstances, such suspicions weren’t entirely unreasonable. Nova’s abilities were so extraordinary that even powerful figures like them had reasons to remain wary.

They couldn’t be certain of his true identity, and eliminating an ordinary human would be a small price to pay if their suspicions turned out to be correct.

However, the fact that they hadn’t openly attacked him suggested that they still weren’t entirely certain. Acting publicly against Nova could expose their intentions, especially if their suspicions proved wrong.

Nova shifted his gaze back to Alaric, who was still screaming in agony, his once-white priestly robes stained red.

"Tell me, are there any others?"

"ARRRGHHH! NO... I SWEAR! THERE’S NO ONE ELSE!" Alaric cried desperately, his voice breaking between screams.

Nova carefully observed his reaction but detected no signs of deception. He could have simply killed Alaric and examined his recent memories to obtain the information he needed, but he had no intention of doing so. Death would be far too merciful for someone like him.

Besides, Reality Override only revealed people’s darkest and most disturbing memories. The memories Nova had witnessed from Alaric hadn’t provided the information he was looking for.

Extracting his memories was therefore out of the question, and Nova had already obtained the information he needed.

At the same time, he sensed that the Emperor Realm powerhouses searching for him had finally left the city to search the surrounding areas after thoroughly investigating the capital.

Nova needed to finish his business quickly and return before anyone noticed his absence.

He wasn’t leaving Alaric alive for now because he feared Caelan might have placed some kind of mark on him that would reveal who had killed his subordinate. Nova hadn’t detected any seal, curse, or tracking device that could reveal their meeting or identify him as Alaric’s killer.

Instead, he simply wanted to avoid attracting unnecessary attention and he had somthing different in his mind for him. With powerful enemies already keeping an eye on him, there was no reason to create further complications.

Nova made a few more cuts across Alaric’s body before finally releasing him from Voidborne Telekinesis.

Alaric collapsed to the ground, writhing and screaming in agony as Nova turned away. His blood spread across the forest floor, but his Level 4 Emperor vitality kept him alive despite his severe injuries.

However, the damage to his soul was equally serious. As his injuries continued to weaken him, his strength gradually declined, leaving him in an increasingly miserable state.

...

At the borders of Everhart City...

The Emperor Realm powerhouses gathered near the city borders after searching the surrounding areas for quite some time. Among them, two were at Level 3 Emperor, while the others were at Levels 4 and 5.

"Did you find him?" one of them asked, his expression tense as he looked at the others.

The remaining three shook their heads. They had been searching for Nova for quite some time, but even after thoroughly investigating the capital, they hadn’t managed to find him.

Of course, they hadn’t searched every single corner, but they had explored enough places that his disappearance was beginning to frustrate them.

They were Emperor Realm powerhouses, after all. Despite their strength and ability to sense powerful auras, they had repeatedly failed to locate a mere King Realm boy within the Imperial Capital. After searching the city, they had moved toward its borders, only to come up empty-handed once again.

Now, they were considering expanding their search even farther.

"Fuck! Where the hell did he go?" one of them cursed, his frustration evident on his face.

"Who knows? Do you think he realized we were watching him and decided to hide? Considering how difficult he is to track, he certainly seems extraordinary, just as the Human Emperor told us."

"Don’t jump to conclusions. We still haven’t confirmed anything, and none of us saw him leave the city."

"But I have a feeling the Human Emperor is right about that boy."

"Sigh... Should we contact the Emperor?"

"Are you an idiot? What exactly are we supposed to tell him? That we lost track of a low-level King Realm kid because we couldn’t keep an eye on him?"

"But he does seem quite strong, doesn’t he?"

"That hasn’t been confirmed yet, so keep your mouth shut!"

"Enough arguing!" the Level 5 Emperor interrupted. "Let’s search a little farther. After that, we’ll return to the city and check once more. If we still can’t find him, we’ll visit his mansion and question his women."

"Hmm, that’s a good idea. Let’s—"

Before he could finish speaking, the communication stone in his hand suddenly buzzed.

He immediately answered the call, and the voice of another subordinate, who had remained inside the city, came through.

[I’ve found Nova Valencrest! He’s at a bathhouse, taking a bath. He just came out and is now eating street food, with a crowd gathering around him!]

All six Emperors widened their eyes in disbelief. What the hell?

If Nova had been inside a bathhouse this entire time, how had they failed to detect his aura? More importantly, why would he go to a public bathhouse when he had an entire mansion with a spacious bath of his own?

The situation made absolutely no sense to them.

"Let’s go and see for ourselves," the Level 5 Emperor said.

The others immediately agreed, and all six powerhouses turned toward the Imperial Capital once again, eager to find out what was really going on.

Soon, the Emperor Realm powerhouses arrived near the bathhouse after re-entering the city through its gates. Before coming here, they had questioned the guards stationed at both the northern and southern gates, asking whether Nova Valencrest had entered or left the city.

The guards had confirmed that he hadn’t.

Although it was possible to leave the city by passing through its protective formation, entering that way was another matter entirely.

Even a Sovereign couldn’t simply force their way through without triggering the formation’s defenses, which would be treated as an attack and alert the Imperial Guards.

Therefore, anyone who left the city had to return through one of its gates. After confirming this, the Emperors finally saw Nova for themselves.

He was standing among a crowd, casually enjoying his street food as though he didn’t have a single worry in the world. People had gathered around the handsome and powerful tournament champion, eager to catch a glimpse of him in public.

Seeing how relaxed he appeared, one of the Emperors couldn’t help but speak.

"Looks like we were mistaken about him."

"Yes, you’re right," the others agreed, their earlier suspicions beginning to fade.

"No... It is still suspicious. For example, how was he able to move so fast that even we couldn’t track his movements?" a Level 5 Emperor asked.

From different areas, they had all witnessed Nova vanish at such an astonishing speed that none of them had been able to keep track of his location.

"Maybe he was using some high-rank concealment treasure," another Emperor suggested.

"Even if that’s true, why would he conceal himself? And why would he come here alone, without his women, just to enjoy the capital by himself?"

"Who knows? But we all know he hasn’t left the city. That’s enough for now. Let’s keep a closer eye on him. If the Human Emperor has his suspicions about Nova, there must be a reason for it."

It was the only thing they could do for now. Since the Human Emperor had personally instructed them to keep a close watch on Nova, they had no choice but to follow his orders.

They would continue monitoring Nova from the shadows, carefully observing his every move and reporting anything suspicious to the Human Emperor without revealing their presence.

However, just as they were about to put the matter behind them, the communication stones in their possession suddenly buzzed.

They received another message from their subordinate stationed at the city square.

The moment they heard what he had to say, all the Emperors widened their eyes in disbelief. They were so shocked that they thought they must have misheard. One of them asked in disbelief, "Could you repeat that?"

Far from where they stood, Nova observed their reactions and smiled. He knew all too well what was going through their minds and why they were so shocked by what they had witnessed.

However, he had already accomplished what he came here to do, and there was no reason to stay any longer. It was time for him to return.

Though he still thought there was some time left before the banquet began, Nova decided to enjoy the show a little longer.

**

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